Porridge

Like cheesy grits? These are really, really, really, really cheesy grits. This recipe is from Buxton Hall, one of Bon Appétit's Hot 10, America's Best New Restaurants 2016.

This is a quick and easy breakfast to have ready to go, after jump-starting your day with a morning workout.

If you don't have each and every grain listed, don't stress. Use what you've got—just bump up the quantity.

Live in a magical place where cloudberries abound? Use them instead of the cherries, as they do in Norway.

At Sqirl, they make almond milk from scratch. You can, too (really): Visit bonappetit.com/nutmilk for our recipe.

EFFORT: NOT MUCH
PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES
COOK TIME: 6 HOURS
KEEPS ON WARM: 1 HOUR The ingredient list is designed for use in a medium (4- to 5 1/2-quart) slow cooker. See the cook's notes for ingredient lists for small (2- to 3 1/2-quart) and large (6- to 8-quart) models.

Muesli is my go-to breakfast. Pomegranate adds an appropriately seasonal touch.

Until about a year ago, it never occurred to me that oatmeal could be a savory dish, but once I stumbled upon it (thanks, Penny de los Santos!), it quickly became one of my favorite breakfast (or breakfast-for-dinner) treats. The egg on top mixes up the textures, which could get a little blah by the end of the bowl without it.

vegan, gluten free I often crave a spicy breakfast—chorizo and egg tacos, skillet crisped sweet potatoes with liberally applied Cajun spices, leftover kung pao chicken—and I also believe that nothing can beat a bowl of steel-cut oatmeal in the morning, so I make this meal to satisfy both cravings at once. You might think of hot cereal as a wintertime dish, a prelude to shoveling out the car or leaping over slush lakes in the crosswalks on your hike to work, but this savory version, with crisp scallions, bright cilantro, and vinegary heat from the chile paste, is invigorating all year round. If you'd like some (nonvegan) protein in your bowl, fry an egg (or shredded cooked chicken or firm tofu) in the oil leftover from frying the garlic and set it on top of the oatmeal.

In many cultures dating as far back as the Middle Ages, crunchy, toothsome wheat berries have been sweetened and served for holiday celebrations. In Russia, poppy seeds, walnuts, and raisins are added for a dish called kutya. In Turkey, a similar dish is called kofyas, and in Greece it's known as koliva. The combination of wheat, honey, and dates has survived so long because it is heavenly. Serve small portions as it's quite filling.

Rich in protein, essential fatty acids and fiber, chia seeds are harvested from Salvia hispanica, a herbaceous plant native to central Mexico that was as an important food source of the Mayans and Aztecs.

Tapioca, like semolina, is one of those things that a school kitchen could have turned you off for life. I couldn't eat it for years, having been force-fed it at primary school aged six, with tinned jam, as it oozed like frogspawn out of the bowl and I wept and retched. For years I had the same malicious feeling toward beets and mashed potatoes, which were instant and came in lumpy granules. My teacher and I had a silent war every lunchtime; a war that eventually came to an end after my parents removed me from the school. Made to your own wont, in your own kitchen, tapioca is ambrosial, and worth being a grown-up for, as is semolina. This could also be a pudding, not a breakfast, just don't serve it with dog food–like tinned jam. Try a lovely homemade compote instead.

Steel-cut oats (also called Irish or Scottish oats) take longer to cook than rolled oats but are creamier and chewier.

We served the polenta with Braised Lamb Shanks with Tomato and Fennel (page 260), but it is equally delicious with chicken, veal, or pork, or as part of a vegetarian meal with a salad.